'Our Bad': Feds' First Step Act Argument Surprises Justices

By Phillip Bantz

Some U.S. Supreme Court justices considering a First Step Act case Monday appeared caught off guard by a government lawyer's argument that the defendant's impending release from prison renders the appeal moot.

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Coinbase Says NJ Dropped $5M Staking Securities Action

By Hailey Konnath

Coinbase said Monday that New Jersey has dropped a lawsuit accusing the crypto exchange of offering unregistered securities through its staking services and rescinded a 2023 cease-and-desist order that barred it from offering the rewards-generating product in the state.

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NJ Parents' Suit Challenging Storing Baby DNA Gets Tossed

By Dorothy Atkins

A New Jersey federal judge tossed a proposed class action Friday challenging the Garden State's practice of keeping newborn babies' residual blood spots without parental consent, finding the parents haven't alleged viable Fourth or Fourteenth Amendment claims, in part because the state agreed to destroy the blood spots at issue.

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Railway Co. Says Pact Silent On NJ Transit Indemnity Claim

By George Woolston

A railway electronics company is urging a Garden State federal court to toss New Jersey Transit's suit claiming the company must fund the transit agency's defense against patent infringement claims in an underlying suit, arguing the agreement the agency cites doesn't support what is alleged.

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Pharmacy Hit With NJ Suit Over GLP-1 Marketing

By George Woolston

A compounding pharmacy deceptively and falsely marketed its GLP-1 compounded weight loss medications as safe, effective, clinically supported and personalized, according to a proposed class action filed in New Jersey federal court.

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Ex-Bank Compliance Chief's Termination Suit Sent To Fla.

By Katryna Perera

A New Jersey federal judge has transferred to Florida federal court a wrongful termination suit by the former chief compliance officer of First National Bank of Pasco, finding that its ties to the state are not enough to meet the minimum standard for personal jurisdiction.

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Webuild Asks Justices To Clarify Foreign Award Jurisdiction

By Caroline Simson

Italian construction giant Webuild is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Third Circuit decision reviving litigation to enforce a $140 million arbitral award against it, arguing the justices must resolve whether courts can enforce such awards based solely on a defendant's in-state property.

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Pennsylvania Healthcare Group Hits Ch. 11 To Sell Hospital

By Clara Geoghegan

Holy Redeemer Health System filed for Chapter 11 protection in Pennsylvania to address about $441 million in liabilities, sell its hospital and restructure its senior and life care medical divisions.

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Approach The Bench: Judge Wilson On Trial By Zoom

By Cara Bayles and Kelley Marcano

Before she became a state court judge in Washington, Judge Coreen Wilson worked as a trial attorney litigating hundreds of cases, including the country's first binding virtual civil jury trial during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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DOJ Says Trump Adviser Needn't Answer ABA Subpoenas Yet

By Jared Foretek

The U.S. Department of Justice is arguing that Trump attorney Boris Epshteyn shouldn't have to respond to subpoenas from the American Bar Association in its challenge to the Trump administration's campaign against law firms until the presiding judge rules on the administration's preexisting motion to quash them.

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Judge Questions Federal Role In Ed Martin Ethics Case

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge struggled Tuesday to see how he could preside over a state attorney ethics proceeding if U.S. pardon attorney Ed Martin gets his way and keeps the case in federal court, as the city's ethics board fought to have it sent back to state court.

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Brownstein Hyatt Faces Suit Over Flawed Cannabis Co. Deal

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado real estate developer and his company alleged that Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP negligently drafted their settlement agreement in a dispute with members of cannabis dispensary chain Native Roots over a sale of the chain's entities, resulting in a roughly $100 million arbitration award against the developer's company.

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Texas Atty Seeks Release In Cyberstalking Case

By Lynn LaRowe

A Texas lawyer who is expected to plead guilty in a cyberstalking case involving BigLaw firm attorneys is asking a federal court to free her, saying circumstances are "materially different" because of mental health treatment she has received while behind bars.

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Adult Daycare Pushes To Revive Suit Against Fox Rothschild

By Rose Krebs

An adult daycare company is asking a New Jersey state court to undo the toss of its suit against Fox Rothschild LLP and one of its attorneys, saying the dismissal was in error because the business had sought more time to respond to a dismissal motion.

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Volunteer Exits Malicious Prosecution Suit Naming DLA Piper

By Craig Clough

A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday tossed a malicious prosecution claim against a former volunteer for Breaking Code Silence on free speech grounds, even as he called the broader case against DLA Piper and the nonprofit "stronger than most."

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Ashurst Perkins ICap Suit Stayed Amid Bankruptcy Fight

By Ben Adlin

A Washington state judge has agreed to freeze a lawsuit accusing law firm Ashurst Perkins Coie of aiding and abetting a nearly $230 million Ponzi scheme, ordering the King County Superior Court litigation be put on hold pending an outcome in a related bankruptcy dispute.

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Roundup

The Top In-House Hires Of October

By Michele Gorman

Legal department hires during the past month included high-profile appointments at Fox, Dell and LinkedIn. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from October.

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